Again
by Rin Truthsayer
Summary: Okay, this is a continuation fic. It picks up a year after EW, it has a few new pilots, 3 to be exact, and no, they're not all girls. Please, just give it a chance. I doubt you'll regret it.
1. So Much for Peace

**_So Much for Peace…_**

**__**

**            Disclaimer:  I don't own Gundam Wing.  This is just a continuation fic.  I'm only doing this for fun, no money involved, so don't bother trying to sue me, I lay no claims whatsoever.  This is an adding new pilot thing, but none of them are modeled off of me, and I am going to be doing my best to make sure no one turns into a Mary Sue on me, or whatever the male version of a Mary Sue is.  I hope you like the fic, and please review!  **

            Quatre opened the door and felt his eyes widen when he found none other than Heero Yuy standing there.  He had thrown a New Year's Eve party for himself and the other ex-gundam pilots, yes; however, since no one had heard as much as a rumor about Heero's whereabouts in the past year, he hadn't expected the pilot of Wing Zero to show up.  

            However, he quickly stepped to the side so that the man could come in.  He supposed he should have expected Heero despite the lack of an invitation.  He may have disappeared from the sight of the world, but he certainly would have kept an eye on his old acquaintances.  And the man was a hacker after all; Quatre wouldn't doubt that Heero knew everything stored in any of his computers if the man made the claim, not for a moment.  Quatre wouldn't doubt it if Heero had been through the blueprints of this mansion and could navigate the halls as easily as him.  

            Heero silently walked into the next room and the doorbell rang again, the pizza man this time.  As he paid the bill, Quatre thought over what had happened over the past year.  

            Relena's dream of total pacifism seemed to have been realized.  The Winner Corporation was thriving in the peaceful environment, which meant all the more work for Quatre and his sisters.  Quatre really didn't mind though.  The job wasn't all paperwork, and his sisters helped with that.  He had started some good charities that he busied himself with whenever he got sick of the everyday problems of his job as the head of the Winner Corporation.  He felt like he didn't talk with the other ex-pilots enough, since they had all gone their separate ways.  

            Trowa had stayed with the circus and still traveled with them.  He had already gotten here and was in the room Heero had gone into, along with Duo.  Duo was working in a partnership with Hilde Schbeiker in a junkyard in the L2 colony cluster.  Wufei had politely declined his invitation to the party, saying that he was in martial arts tournament that was traveling between the colonies.  It was just sport now, and no weapons were ever used.  There weren't any actual weapons left anymore.  

            Well, any weapons except the gundams anyway.  Though Relena and the rest of the public had been told that the gundams had been destroyed, along with enough proof of their destruction to satisfy most people.  In truth though, they were in storage.  Peace had proven to be a very delicate thing, the first year or so after it was accomplished.  So they had kept the gundams in storage and ready, should someone threaten the new peace like Marimaia and Duke Dermail had last Christmas.  

            But it had been a year now, and there had been no evidence of someone going against Relena's ideals.  Quatre had invited all of the pilots here for a party because he wanted to see them again, yes; but he also wanted to talk about the gundams.  After a year of peace, surely it was a sure thing that there would never be need for those machines of war, right?  It seemed as though Relena had been right when she said everyone wanted a world of total pacifism now.  And, since that world had been made a reality, they should follow through with the act that they had made the Earth and colonies believe they had done last new years: they should destroy the gundams now, once and for all.  

            He chuckled a little as he heard Duo exclaiming, "And the Perfect Soldier strikes again!"  Balancing the five pizza boxes on his shoulder, he walked into the next room.  Someone might say he had over-ordered, but that someone didn't know how much seventeen-year-old boys ate, especially ones that probably still had a few inches of growth left.  It was bound to be an interesting evening.  

***

            The pizza delivery girl smiled with delight as she walked down the drive, back to her car.  She hit the indigo on her watch, which read a countdown from ten.  She stepped into her car and started up the engine.  Once she was out of the courtyard she pulled out a cell phone and hit the redial.  

            "It's done," she said when a woman's voice answered the phone.  "The bomb goes off in…"  She looked at her watch again.  "…eleven minutes.  What's the news on Chang?"  

            "Everything's going according to plan, Colonel," replied the girl easily.  "But really, why you should want to do such a job when one of us could-"  

            "Call it a personal score, Captain," replied the 'pizza girl'.  "I wanted to see the pilots myself before they're blown to pieces.  I only saw one of them, but that's satisfactory enough.  I'm amazed a butler didn't just answer."  

            "Quatre always liked to do things himself," murmured the girl.  

            The Colonel's eyes snapped together.  "Do you regret the betrayal of your brother, Mia?"  

            "No, Ma'am," assured Mia quickly.  "I believe in my cause, and my family is nothing but a brick to drag me down.  Nothing but a few memories of his childhood resurfacing."  

            "Good.  See that nothing goes wrong with Chang."  

            "Yes Ma'am.  Everything's been going smoothly."  

            "Be sure it stays that way.  And…"  She hesitated.  "I want you to have a swat team ready to move in on the Winner mansion.  Just incase something goes wrong.  I don't want them to survive the night.  They've proven unstoppable in the past, and we want nothing to stand in our way.  _Nothing, do you hear me?  The commander assigned me to dispose of these young men, and if it isn't done properly he'll have our hides."  _

            "Understood Ma'am.  I'll have the swat team ready."  

            "Good.  I'll be back at the base in under twenty minutes.  Out."  And with that she hung up.  

***

            Wufei's breath came to him in gasps as he stood with his head between his legs.  That last fight had been harder than he had expected, but he had still come out on top in the end.  He had a ten minute break before the next fight, though he would get an hour-long break after that one.  After that he would be one step away from the championship.  

            He looked over at his opponent, who didn't look at all exhausted.  He was a big man, a body-builder.  Wufei smirked a little.  _The bigger they are, he thought to himself, __the harder they fall.  He sat down and bowed his head slightly in reverence.  __Nataku, lend me your strength.  _

            It was a kind of mantra he had gotten into the habit of before he went into a fight.  If his dead wife heard his thoughts, he knew that she would probably scorn him, but playfully.  Meilan had always been strong, overly so for a woman in his opinion, but she hadn't always been mad at him.  Now and then she had enjoyed a game of teasing him until he simply lost his temper and stalked off with a book.  She had had a playful side, mixed perfect and inexorably with her great honor, commitment, and, of all things, her strength.  Always her strength.  And though she might have scorned him if she ever heard those silent prayers, she probably would have lent him the needed strength all the same.  

            He meditated a few minutes, to calm himself before the match.  He had long ago learned that if he went into a fight in a rage right from the start, he would probably only make a fool out of himself as he lost.  If he lost his temper once he was fully into a battle his anger usually aided him, but he fought his best if he was completely calm before he began.  

            Besides, he had no reason to be upset with this man.  He had done Wufei no wrong, and to have gotten this far in the tournament it was a sure thing that he wasn't a weakling.  But just the same, something about him made Wufei's hackles rise.  It made no sense, none at all, but some sort of animal instinct was telling him to strike hard and win quickly.  

            They both stepped into the ring and bowed formally.  When the referee called for them to begin, the Chinese man didn't hesitate a moment, which caught the man off guard.  Normally there was a few seconds after the call before anyone launched any actual attacks.  Wufei launched himself up and kicked straight into his gut with the heel of his foot.  When the man grunted from the impact, he landed and slammed the side of his fist into the guy's cheek, hard enough to knock his head to the side.  

            The man stumbled and Wufei jumped up and hooked one knee around the back of his opponent's neck.  He was about to jab him in the soft spot between the two parts of his collar bone when he felt the cold, metal barrel right below his sternum and froze.  

            "Wanted to try killing you fair and square, buddy," the man muttered.  "But you're too good for me, I can tell.  And I've got my orders."  

            Before he could pull the trigger, however, Wufei slooped around so that his knee was strangling his attempted killed and kicked him hard in the small of the back.  The crowd screamed at the sight of the gun and the giant crashed to the ground, nose-diving into the floor.  A moment later Wufei broke his neck and dashed off the stage.  He ran for the shadows first, then into the street to his motorcycle.  

            _Orders, he said he had orders, he thought frantically as he headed to Preventor HQ, which was only a few miles away.  Sally was on duty tonight.  She could help him figure out who had given the man he had just killed his orders, and if he had any comrades.  _

            _I should call the others as well, he decided as he parked his bike and ran into headquarters.  __If someone was sent to kill me, it might be that they're trying to kill off the ex-gundam pilots.  I just hope it isn't too late.  _

***

            "Alright, pizza!" cheered Duo as Quatre came into the room.  Before the blonde could do anything the brunette had snatched the pies off of his shoulder, set them down on the coffee table, and opened up the top box.  Cheese.  He detached half of the pie from the rest of it and sat down in an armchair, sinking his teeth into his foot without even bothering to take the pieces apart.  Heero and Trowa both leaned forward and took two pieces each.  

            Quatre took the last two pieces and put the empty box at the bottom of the pile.  Then he sat down and brought up the subject he had wanted to talk to them all about, namely, the gundams.  He was glad when everyone full-heartedly agreed that the time of trouble had gone by and that the suits should be destroyed.  Then they sat and talked about life in general for a few minutes, working their way through the second pizza all too quickly.  Well, Duo and Quatre talked; Trowa and Heero just sat there and ate, putting in a comment here and there.  

            When the phone rang Quatre was almost reluctant to answer it.  But he did anyway, in the next room.  To his utter surprise it was Wufei.  

            "Hey, Wufei," he greeted.  "What's going on?"  

            "Someone just tried to kill me," said the Chinese teen tersely.  

            "Well, that happens from time to time when you're in a martial arts tournament."  

            "No, you don't understand," said Wufei, his eyes dead serious.  "He pulled a gun on me in the middle of the fight.  A _gun.  Then he said he was following orders."  _

            Quatre blinked a few times in shock.  "Uh, that's bad."  

            "No shit."  

            "I think someone might be trying to kill off us old gundam pilots," admitted Wufei.  "Do you know where Heero is?"  

            "Uh, yeah, he's eating pizza in the next room.  Just showed up at the door."  

            "So you're all there?"  

            "Yep."  

            "Alright, call me back if there's any troub-"  

            "Uh, Quatre?" called Duo's voice shakily.  "I think we uh…  I think we have a problem!"  His voice escalated into yell, going so high it threatened to crack.  "I think we have a _really BIG problem!"  _

            Quatre ran into the next room, the cordless phone in his hand.  Since he left the room with the camera Wufei couldn't see him, and he was somewhat grateful for that when he saw Duo's big problem.  Smack in the middle of the third pizza was a small with a little LED readout that currently read, "00:17" and counting down.  

            "Oh shit," whispered the head of the Winner Corporation, completely forgetting that the phone was still held up to her ear.  We are totally _screwed."  _

            "What's going on?" demanded Wufei.  

            "Screwed?!"  screamed Duo.  "Try _fucked!"  _

            "What's going on?!" demanded Wufei again.  

            The timer reading 00:08, Trowa snatched the box and threw it out the open window, hard.  When the pie burst into flames they were all surprised to find several people in the fire, all dressed in black.  However, not all of these unaccounted for people were caught on fire, and one of them  climbed in through the window.  Quatre later thought he must've blinked, because suddenly both Heero and Duo had guns in their hands and the man that had climbed through the hole had three bullets in him, two in his chest from Duo and one in the middle of his forehead from Heero.  

            "You're not supposed to have those!" exclaimed Quatre.  

            Heero just tossed a look over his shoulder that read, "So-what?" and Duo motioned at the dead man.  "He's got a gun!  Call it fair play!  Oh, and I take back what I said before; I'm not getting rid of Deathscythe."  

            "Same with Heavyarms."  

            "Zero's ready for battle any time."  

            Quatre sighed deeply.  "Well, so much for peace…"  

            There was silence for a moment, then everyone was reminded that there was still someone else listening in on them.  

            "I demand to know what's going on!" yelled Wufei once more over the phone.  

            Well, that's my first chapter.  I hope you enjoyed it.  Please review.  Rin Truthsayer, out.  


	2. More Peoples

**_More Peoples_**

**__**

            _Seven.  The complete number.  Seven days in a week.  Forgive seventy times seven times.  Seven together, sitting in a dark room, deciding the fate of some seventy zillion lives, plus those of the two future heroes whose shadows stood about the projectors, slowly spinning in the waltz a young girl described not so long ago.  _

            Duo shook his head a little to clear it.  _I hate it when this poetry shit pops into my head, he thought a little moodily.  He repeated what he had thought in his mind and wrinkled his nose in disgust.  He had even mentioned the seventy times seven thing Sister Helen had always told him when he had beaten the shit out of some other kid who had been stupid enough to make fun of the orphan with a braid at Maxwell Church.  _

            _Sister Helen…  Father Maxwell…  Almost as soon as the names came to him he shoved them brutally back to the dark corner of his mind where they usually dwelt.  __I'm done with that! he told himself fiercely.  __It's no good to open up old wounds when I'm about to get new ones.  _

            He had to chuckle a little at that.  Who knew what kind of hurts this war was gonna bring, and from who?  Duo didn't know too much, but he did know that his own best friend would probably inflict a beating or two on him.  He sighed a little at that.  _Oh well, he decided.  __That's what happens when your best friend's the Perfect Soldier.  He let out a deep breath, more of an effort to blow his bangs out of his eyes than a sigh.  Heero would be Heero, and nothing was going to change that.  All thoughts of pain and sorrow wiped from his mind, he turned his eyes to the perfect, 3D figurines floating above the desk.  _

            The first was a guy who looked like he was a little younger than Duo, but if he was it couldn't have been by more than a year or two, wearing a pair of baggy jeans and a big t-shirt.  His limp ringlets of hair that barely touched his neck were black, cut tidily, though the cut allowed for his thin curls to go wild without it making his head look like some utter contradiction.  His eyes were a hue that seemed completely indiscernible between the colors green, blue, and gray, somehow being all those colors but not really being them.  Duo wouldn't be surprised if they changed with his surroundings, or even his moods.  His skin was as pale as that of the boy scrutinizing the picture.  

            The second hologram was of, surprisingly enough, a young woman.  Once again she was around his age, though perhaps a little older instead of younger.  Her pale blonde hair was not white, but it was a sure thing that if she spent more time in the sun it wouldn't be long before it turned that color.  It came down to the middle of her back and was held back in an elegant low ponytail, the tie by her shoulders.  Her intense gaze was a steady green, not an extraordinary color of any kind.  But those eyes were sharp and intelligent, an indicator that she took shit from no one, despite her rather short white skirt and pink T-shirt that announced its wearer to be "Princess".  

            He knew he should probably be paying more attention than he was, but he really didn't want to hear.  Oh well.  He knew he could just follow along with whatever was going on later and he'd be off well enough.  As a matter of fact, they'd all think he was sick or something if he paid attention and wasn't forever asking questions during missions and missing his cues to cut the jokes and get serious.  

            _Why the hell should I be serious anyway?! he demanded of himself, leaning back in his chair with his arms behind his head and closing his eyes.  __They're all serious enough to make up for three of me!  'Sides, things are bad enough already.  He sighed, though only inwardly this time.  He wasn't particularly grieved about the death of Professors G, J, and O, but he wasn't about to jump for joy either.  Sure, he had never liked G.  Sure, G and the other Docs had betrayed or ditched all the pilots more than once in the past.  Sure, if G had been alive and leading this meeting right now Duo would've told him to go to hell and wait for his personal torture session.  But that didn't mean he wanted him __dead.  Who, besides Heero anyway, honestly wanted someone they had known for years to just… __die?  _

            Well, either way, they were still stuck with Trowa and Quatre's professors, S and H, who said that in order to beat this new enemy they were going to need a few new recruits.  Then each of them had supplied a candidate for another gundam pilot, which were the two whose pictures Duo had just been looking at.  

            Suddenly, something S was saying snapped him out of his daydreams.  

            "However, according to the statistics we managed to get from J's computer immediately after his demise, even two new gundam pilots wouldn't be enough to eliminate this new threat to peace."  

            Duo sat straight up.  "_What?" he squawked incredulously.  _

            "In order for this to succeed, we need at least eight total pilots, preferably nine.  However, we only have the resources to keep and maintain eight gundams."  

            The brunette leaned back in his chair again, his mind eased.  "Alright," he said easily.  "So who's Number Eight?"  

            S and H exchanged glances; not a good sign.  Then, H admitted, "We know of no one capable of such a position."  

            He groaned and almost sank from his chair to the floor.  This was starting to get really irritating.  "So what the hell are we supposed to do?" he demanded.  

            "We were going to ask," answered H, "if any of you knew someone."  

            There was silence and Duo quickly went over the people who knew, trying to imagine then piloting.  He knew plenty of people who could pilot a suit, but none of them had enough skill to handle a gundam.  "No winners," he said flatly.  He turned to the fourth pilot.  "No pun intended," he assured Quatre.  

            "Not a problem," replied the man easily before turning to H and admitting, "I know no one with enough talent or skill."  

            "You'll have checked out all of my colleges in Preventors for their skills already and found them inadequate," replied Wufei.  

            Trowa shrugged and didn't say anything, which everyone took to mean he didn't know anyone either.  

            There were a few moments of silence, which were broken by Heero letting out a breath that someone who didn't know Heero might have said sounded resigned.  When they all looked to him he met H's gaze with his and said, "I know someone."  

            Duo frowned a little.  Heero sounded and even looked flat out reluctant to mention this person.  "What's the matter, buddy?"  

            For a moment it looked as though he wasn't going to reply.  Then, right when Duo had given up on his hopes for an answer, he said, "We haven't talked in a while."  

            "Okay…"  

            Hearing the question in Duo's voice, Heero sighed again and continued.  Duo couldn't believe his senses; Heero was _answering his questions?!  Unreal.  "She's going to be pissed at me."  _

            "She?" exclaimed Wufei in shock.  "Another woman?"  

            At the same time, Duo said, "And this bothers you why?"  

            However, Heero's phase of actually enlightening Duo and the other pilots had ended, and the man went silent.  

***

            "You've failed me."  

            Tatiana, kneeling down, her head bowed in submission, winced at the distaste in his voice.  He was furious.  

            However, when she expected to hear another insult toward her, he simply sighed.  "I was afraid this might happen," he muttered darkly, more to himself than her.  Then, "Stand up, Colonel Omin.  I've read your report and know you went to every length possible to destroy them.  You were simply overpowered."  Not quite believing her ears, she stood and raised her eyes to meet his.  

            "They're trained gundam pilots, after all," he continued.  "They have to be good enough to evade your attacks to be the stuff of legends they've become."  

            "Sir?"  Was that supposed to be atonement for her failure, or an insult to her skills that she hadn't been able to complete her mission successfully?  She couldn't tell.  

            "They're trained to survive people like you," he explained, pacing back and forth.  "But they're still overpowered in the long run.  They don't have enough strength to beat us." He turned away.  "They're going to need new recruits."  He looked back over his shoulder.  "And that is your mission."  

                        Seeing her confused look, he smiled coldly.  "People with the skill to pilot gundams are on short supply these days.  They've already picked out their recruits."  His grin widened and Tatiana repressed an urge to shudder.  "Your mission is to kidnap those new recruits, Kaiyel Braveo and Kiana Heggel.  You will find all the information you need on this."  He handed her a CD case.  "Dismissed."  

            Tatiana took the disk, bowed at the waist, and started to walk out of the room.  But when she reached the door she heard him call, "Tatiana, remember; three strikes and you're out.  Do not fail me again."  

            She swallowed hard.  "Yes, sir."  With that she hurried out.  

***

            I hope you enjoyed reading this, and I hope you'll review and tell me how I did.  The next chapter, where they actually meet the new people, should be out soon enough.  If you want to talk to me, just tell me how in a review, and I'll get on a friend's messanger systems and chat with ya.  *Sad face*  Daddy sez I can't get a messenger system or let peoples see my e-mail address, he's paranoid…  *Sigh* Oh well I guess.  Just tell me, and I'll find a way to talk to you, I get so bored…


	3. KKR

KKR

**__**

_Stupid stupid stupid stupid! Why the hell did I go and pick a fight with Roger? Now IÕm going to be late meeting up with Monique! What was I thinking?!_

The black-haired boy thinking these thoughts was currently racing through the ancient cobbled streets and alleys in downtown Paris, a heavy black schoolbag thumping on his back as he went. He had only lived there for two years, but he could navigate the tiny streets only the locals knew about as easily as any of the kids who had lived here all their lives. That was mainly because of how often he got into situations like this. 

Hearing the pounding feet of his pursuers growing louder, his mouth went into a grim line and he sped up. _I canÕt outrun them,_ he thought reasonably. _But I canÕt let them catch up either. ThereÕs four of them, and thereÕs only one of me. I need to find a way to separate them and take them one at a time._ A plan entered his thoughts, and he started to run even faster. He needed to stop for a minute or two, and in order to do that, he needed to get further ahead. He began navigating his way through the seemingly identical little streets for the one he knew would suit his purposes well. 

Reaching the abandoned back alley he wasted no time in reaching into his bag and pulling out four little recording devices. They were cheap, and only held a recording for twenty seconds, but they should do the job. He set them all in a row on the ground and pulled out his little remote keypad he had programmed for just about every piece of electronic equipment he owned. Throwing his bag back on his back he hit the button that would start the little things recording and ran down the length of the alley. His footsteps echoed loudly and his backpack clinked as he went. 

After counting out twenty-four seconds, he raced back and snatched up the devices, headed to where the second part of his plan would take place. It was an intersection of four alleys that spiraled out from a circular area. He listened for his followers for a moment, trying to estimate how long it would be before they caught up. Deciding he had just enough time, he hid one of his toys at the entrance of the three alleys his enemies would be able to choose from. Then he ran up one of them and put another a little down a turnoff from the street he had just come up. Then he ran back and raced down another of the passages, hiding in a niche not too far along from where the mouth of the alley. 

He knew Roger well enough to know how he would react to hearing his prey running down all the streets at once. He was used to KaiyelÕs tricks. He would wait in the court and send his henchmen to check out the trails. They were to come back to him when he let out that earsplitting whistle of his, or if they manage to find and snag Kaiyel. 

He heard them come into the court and hit the play on three the machines at the entrances to the alleys. After an exclamation of annoyance, the men were deployed. Kaiyel rolled his eyes as he set down his pack and took his num-chucks out. The guy was _so_ predictable. 

Right when the boy was level with him Kaiyel stepped out of his hiding place and smacked his assailant in the stomach with his weapon. He clutched his stomach, gasping for breath, and Kaiyel tapped his shins with the num-chucks, just hard enough to make him fall to his knees, not shatter the bone. He wouldnÕt be able to whisper, much less yell a warning to his friends, for at least five minutes. He hit the detonator for the second recording device, probably putting the second crony on a wild goose chase for an imaginary Kaiyel. 

With that he waltzed into the court and faced Roger. When the blonde raised thumb and forefinger to his lips so he could whistle for his friends, Kaiyel said, ÒOh, I get it, youÕre afraid youÕll lose a fight against me unless you have three of your cronies holding me down.Ó 

That stopped him in his tracks. ÒIÕm not afraid of a bastard like you,Ó he sneered, his hand going back down to his side. 

ÒThen prove it,Ó challenged Kaiyel, not letting his relief in how well his comment had worked show. 

ÒNot fair; youÕve got a weapon.Ó 

Kaiyel tossed it to the side and found Roger charging him the next instant. He waited until Roger was almost on top of him, then slipped on purpose, sliding fast between his legs. He kicked one leg up straight up and dug the toe of his sneaker into the small of RogerÕs back. The boy let out a cry of pain, and the last of his henchman came running back into the court. 

Standing up, Kaiyel dusted himself off with his hands before turning back and kicking Roger viciously in the ribs. The boy let out another cry of pain and Kaiyel left him to retrieve his num-chucks. Once he had them he faced the last boy, ignoring the sound of a nearing motorcycle for the moment, and went into a fighting stance. The guyÕs eyes went wide and he bolted back in the direction he had come from. 

Kaiyel grinned cockily and started doing a few tricks with his num-chucks as a kind of victory dance before a cloth bag that had been filled with some sort of sleeping drug was thrown over his head, his weapon was snatched away. As he was thrown on the back of a motorcycle and his conscious state of mind began to ebb away, it occurred to him that maybe it wasnÕt him RogerÕs crony had run from after all. 

***

Kiana stood in a well cared for garden, in a bare dirt plot, hoeing it. She wore a comfortable but clinging shirt of some soft material, a pair of jeans, and a pair of fashionable, brown hiking boots. Her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, as it usually was, and a wide-brimmed leather hat capped her head. She wouldÕve done without the hat, but Aunt Clara had insisted on it before letting her go out, saying that she would lose all of the color in her hair. In truth, Kiana thought that white hair would be fun, for a while anyway. But Aunt Clara, being as old-fashioned as she was, shoved the thing on her head, and Kiki, as she was called, had found it surprisingly comfortable. And that was the sole reason she had yet to remove it. 

She heard the approaching men long before she acknowledged them. She wasnÕt about to be disturbed. This was important to her; no one was going to wreck it. Wrecking this would ruin her day, and Kiki on a bad day was _not_ fun. But it seemed that none of these men had ever met a nature-loving prep who went from cutie to bitch in one second flat when her day was ruined ever so slightly, because they kept right on coming. 

She heard the footsteps stop right behind where she stood. After a moment, a womanÕs voice said, ÒKiana Heggel, I ask if you would please allow us to escort you to a meeting with my superiors. They wish to speak with you.Ó 

ÒIÕm busy,Ó replied Kiki shortly, not pausing in her work. ÒAnd I donÕt know you people. Go away.Ó She looked over her shoulder. There were two nondescript men there, and one woman with black hair and sea green eyes. ÒYouÕre wasting my time. DonÕt come back.Ó She turned back to the plot of ground she was hoeing and went right back to work. 

ÒIÕm afraid I canÕt take no for an answer, Miss Heggel,Ó announced the woman calmly. ÒEither come with us willingly, or weÕll take you. Either way is fine with me, but I thought IÕd offer you the more comfortable method first.Ó 

ÒNot interested in going anywhere right now, thank-you,Ó replied Kiki, her eyes only for her work. 

The woman nodded sharply. ÒSo be it,Ó she answered calmly. ÒMaxis; take her.Ó 

Kiana heard the rustle of cloth as ÒMaxisÓ moved to do as his leader had said, but waited. When she heard several footfalls she took her hoe out of the ground and pushed the top of the handle towards the ground in a single swift movement. The head of the tool flew up behind her and dug into the bottom of his chin. He yelped and Kiana felt blood spatter on the back of her neck. 

She changed her grip and reached back and smacked the hoe right below the base of where the metal part of it began. The head dislodged from the manÕs face fell to the ground. The foot of it went back up and lodged itself in his crotch. He gasped, red in the face and dripping blood. Kiki stepped to her left and slammed the head of the hoe back into his face with all her strength. He got a dazed look on his face and fell to the ground, bleeding even more now. When his latest wound healed, he would have a scar between and in his eyebrows, leaving people with the vague impression of a unibrow. 

She charged the second man, slamming the but of the hoe into his stomach and, since the woman was in such close proximity to him, wheeled the opposite end around to land in her gut as well. They really hadnÕt moved much, apparently shocked by her reaction. She switched her hold on her weapon again and held it to face, then straight out in front of her like a sword. Then she whapped first the woman as hard as she could, then the second man. They both fell to the ground, unconscious and probably with concussions. 

Kiki huffed a little in annoyance and walked back to the plot of ground she had been working. The first man, Maxis, was still a little closer than she wouldÕve liked, so she used her hoe as a lever to move him a few more feet away. Taking off her hat, she wiped her brow and turned back to her little garden. She tossed her hat over her shoulder, and went right back to work without a second glance at her attempted kidnappers. 

***

In a realm of nearly complete white, all was still but for one thing. Riding on a snowboard down one of the grand mountainÕs magnificent slopes was a single rider, all dressed in black. 

It was obvious from a first glance that it was a woman, probably some kind of punk or other. Her hair was layered, the longest parts coming a little past her chin, but it was styled and fluffed out, managing to emphasize the bright neon purple, pink, green, and blue highlights. She wore bug-eyed goggles, but otherwise had no headgear of any kind. Her suit was all black and baggy, obviously comfortable. She had a black backpack as well. Her board wasnÕt too unusual outside the fact that it had sweet bindings that she could slip into and out of. 

For now though she was racing full speed down a straightaway and into a small patch of forest, her hands, thinly clad in black gloves, spread out for an extra bit of balance. She swerved to avoid the trees that would mean certain death, trying not to lose too much speed. Then she smiled as she finally saw her objective racing towards her. 

She flew out into the open, fresh powder trailing behind her, over a one hundred twenty-five foot cliff. Totally unperturbed by the death drop, she began shouting the tricks she was doing in the freefall. 

ÒStiffy, nosebone, one foot, shifty, reverse tweak method!Ó Her voice was hoarse from the cold, but had a feminine, husky sound to it. In other conditions it was probably quite nice. ÒReverse invert, arch invert, nose dive, stalefish!Ó 

In the last thirty feet she pulled a killer move, one of her favorites; loser air. The trick had been branded by a 21st century rider and required the boarder to pull the board back like they would in a squirrel, back inverted with one hand on the board, with the right hand across the center of the forehead in the loser sign. 

She continued to spiral down like that until she was at ten feet, and suddenly seemed to notice how close the ground was. ÒOh shit,Ó she muttered, and yanked a cord on her backpack, turning on the jetpack in her backpack, which managed to slow her descent to something that would kill her. 

She landed hard and on her back foot, now regular, her upper back slammed onto the back of her board. Cackling with delight she cheered for a moment or two, continuing to go down the mountain at full speed, her bodyÕs contorted position not seeming to bother her in the slightest. After a few second though she stood up and bunny hopped so her right foot was in front, goofy style, which was her usual. She went down a short straightaway, swerving back and forth a little to get the feel of the powder fresh snow, until she reached a trick course. 

She flew off a six-foot launch, pulling a method as she murged in the air over to the mammoth rail, pulling a backside board slide. After a smooth slide, she 360¡ off and raced down the hill. Sliding over the top of a foot rail head on, she launched a twelve foot, 720¡ stiffy switch nose grab. Smooth ride land. 

She went up a side quarter pipe, lifting at the side and launching eight feet, pulling a nosebone, smoothly launched. 

Grinning wildly at her performance, the rider launched a five foot jump with a fifteen foot long rail attached. She pulled a one foot quickly, before the rail and 720¡ grinded on. Having landed it safely, she sped down the remaining slope. 

Soon enough she came to a flat area, the end of todayÕs ride. With a whoop of joy she shoved her goggles up onto her forehead and snapped her feet out of her board, then kickstanded it up with the rubbery toe of her boot. She caught it board with one arm and took in a deep breath of the cold, crisp air, her obsidian eyes closed. She cackled a little in delight of how well she had done, her heart thumping and adrenaline pumping. 

But, however nice and refreshing it was, she didnÕt feel like standing there all day. So she reached into a pocket of her pants and pulled out a cell phone. She dialed the desired number and held it to her ear, hissing in impatience. When someone answered she told them, briskly, ÒCome pick me up.Ó 

ÒYes, Miss Jemis,Ó replied the man on the phone. ÒOn my way.Ó 

A minute or so later a sleek, black helicopter arrived and landed not too far from the girl. Without hesitation she walked over and jumped in, buckled herself in, and put on the headphones. 

ÒRhia, I have some bad news.Ó 

The rider, Rhia, looked in the direction of the man who had spoken over the intercom in the headphones. It was one of her fatherÕs closer assistants, riding passenger in the helicopterÕs front. ÒWhatcha mean?Ó she asked curiously by the same methodology he had used. 

ÒYour grandfatherÕs been assassinated,Ó he announced solemnly. 

Rhia frowned. ÒWhich one?Ó 

ÒYour fatherÕs father, Dr. James Jemis.Ó 

She blinked a little in shock and surprise, not quite believing that someone had finally managed to knock off the old bugger. Then she scowled. He mightÕve been a tough old tightass, but he was still her grandpa J. 

_Damn Heero, wherever the hell he went,_ she thought moodily. _Gramps was his instructor; he was supposed to have been watching him!_

Well, thatÕs it for this chapter, all the new pilots! KKR = Kaiyel, Kiana, and Rhia! Better watch out for those nature loving preps though! TheyÕre meaner than they look! Whelp, next chapterÕs named Meeting, where the g-boys go and meet these people! Well, except Kaiyel. TheyÕre gonna have to rescue him after they get the new people togetherÉ 

DonÕt forget to review! And please, ideas! I really need them!


	4. Meeting

Meeting

**__**

            Quatre glanced at Trowa questioningly as they came into the area where they Dr. H had told them they could find his candidate, and found the bodies of three people on the ground, two men and one woman.  Trowa leaned down and checked the pulse of the woman and nodded up at Quatre, saying that she had one.  He checked the two men, blinked, then nodded again.  All three were alive, just knocked out.  

            "I hope they weren't friends of yours."  

            They both looked over and found the young woman they had seen in the hologram back during their talk with the professors standing there, leaning against a hoe.  

            Quatre shrugged.  "I've never seen them in my life," he told her honestly.  

            "Are you here for the same reason as them?"  

            He frowned, and looked down at the unconscious people on the ground.  "Miss, I haven't a clue what they would've wanted with you."  

            "Quatre."  

            Heeding Trowa's quiet call for attention, he turned away from the girl and crouched down.  His friend was holding a necklace up off the woman's chest.  "The men have them too," he announced, "though they're not as nice or complex."  He snapped the chain holding the one on the woman and took another out of his pocket, holding them up for Quatre to compare.  

            The head of the Winner Corporation bit his lip.  "It looks like some sort of symbol of insignia," he said honestly.  He sighed resignedly.  "The new enemy, for sure."

            Trowa nodded.  

            "But what would they want with her?"  

            "The woman said her superiors wanted to talk to me," interrupted Kiana.  "When I told her I didn't feel like budging, she said I didn't have a choice in the matter, and I should just come willingly before they made me.  When I told her no again she sicked that guy on me."  She motioned at the man who was bleeding from the head in two places.  "Once I took care of him, I took out the other two."  She looked at them expectantly.  She smiled brightly at them.  "So who are you guys?"  

            Quatre smiled back and Trowa looked at her blankly.  "I'm Quatre, and this is Trowa," announced the former.  "I'm sorry that you had to meet them before us."  He held out a hand for her to shake.  "I wanted to ask for your help in something a good friend of mine told me he thought you could do."  

            She eyed his hand suspiciously.  "And this mysterious task would be…?"  

            His smile widened to an almost predatory grin.  "Being a gundam pilot."  

***

            "Maxwell, what do you think you are doing?"  

            "Coming with you," grumbled Duo as he hopped in the truck after Heero and Wufei, who had commented on his action.  

            "Mind if I ask why?" snapped the Chinese man.  

            "My target's been kidnapped," announced Duo as Heero started up the engine.  "Enemy got him before me, and I have nothing to do.  Might as well meet this girl Heero suggested."  

            Wufei rolled his eyes, knowing that the doctors had been keeping careful watch on their candidates for some time, and would have been accurate in a report.  He kept quiet as they drove to the airport.  

***

            They all three stood at the door of a grand mansion, Wufei in approving contempt, Duo and awe, and Heero in apparent unease.  After a moment he reached forward and touched the com talk, saying, "I wish conference with Rhia."  

            Duo blinked at the formality and respect of Heero's tone.  _Oh, come off and admit it, he told himself.  __You expected the guy to just break into her bedroom!  _

            "What business have you with Miss Jemis?" asked a cold voice through the intercom.  

            "I need to speak with her," replied Heero, just as cold.  "It's urgent."  

            "Miss Jemis accepts no reports, urgent or no, from strangers."  

            "I am no stranger to her."  

            There was a pause.  "Give me a name to present and I will give it to her."  

            "Heero Yuy."  

            There was a time of silence.  After a minute or so, the voice returned to say, "She knows no such name.  Please leave at once."  

            Heero muttered darkly under his breath.  Then he said, "Give her the name Odin Lowe."  

            In the following silence as the man presumably went and told Heero's friend the new name, Wufei and Duo shared a look.  For once the two were allied and agreed on something.  They both knew Heero Yuy was a code name.  If he had to give a second name, chances were it was his real name.  

            As it was, the door opened.  A man, whose voice made it clear he was the one they had spoken with over the intercom, stood there.  "She will see you," he told them simply.  He eyed Duo and Wufei distastefully.  "Them too."  With that he started off into the house and a quick pace, leaving them to follow.  He led them to an entryway of sorts that reminded Duo eerily of the old video game Tomb Raider, with a staircase to the far side of the room, which split in two to reach up and embrace the upstairs halls on both sides of the room.  Down in front of the staircase was a sitting area; two couches faced each other with a table between them, and a few chairs sat off to the sides.  "Wait here," commanded the apparent butler before walking away.  "She'll be with you in a moment."  

            They all sat down, and sure enough, not five minutes later they heard a feminine voice ask, "Yuy now, is it?"  

            A girl of about sixteen stood at the top of the stairs.  She was dressed in a nice pair of black slacks and a loose black turtleneck and black dress shoes.  Her eyes were black as well, sharp and piercing, like a raven's.  Her black hair, streaked with neon green, pink, blue, and purple highlights, added a wild flair to her.  It came down to roughly chin-length, but was probably longer because it was styled to fluff out and twist upward, a common style here in New Zealand.  Her nationality was Caucasian, at least predominantly.  

            Heero nodded and she made her way down the stairs.  "I'm sorry I didn't recognize you at first then," she said, moving her hands in a motion as though washing them.  "The name Heero has become more popular over the years."  Her companion shrugged and she chuckled slightly as she reached the bottom of the stairs.  But no emotion touched her eyes.  No emotions had touched those eyes since she had come into the room.  "Talkative as ever, aren't we?" she asked as she walked up to stand right in front of him.  When he only looked away and muttered, "Hn," her pert mouth twisted with distaste.  Completely without warning, she ducked down a little and socked him as hard as she could in the gut.  Heero's eyes were wide with surprise as he bent over double, and both Duo and Wufei knew their own eyes had to be wide.  

            "Where in the seven hells have you been, you asshole!" he yelled, kicking up and catching him on the chin, jerking his head back.  "I know you're a soldier, God damn it, but the war's been over for a while, in case you hadn't noticed!  Didn't you ever think some of your old friends might like to hear from you?!"  She stood there, breathing hard.  "And then I go and find out that someone's assassinated my Grandfather Jemis!"  She smacked him hard across the face.  "You're supposed to protect him, you dumbass!  He was your mentor, your teacher!  Or at least if you weren't going to watch over the old goat you should've told me so I could've done it myself!"  

            Wufei and Duo traded glances again.  Grandfather Jemis?  Heero's mentor and teacher?  _Wait a minute…  Jemis…  J?!  No way!  He had kids__?!  _

            As it was, Heero tried to reach out a leg to hook her ankle and trip her.  However, she saw it coming and palmed him in the chest so hard she knocked him over.  "Don't test me, Heero!" she warned.  "I hospitalized you once and I can do it again!"  

            _Woah, I thought I was the only one who managed to pull that one off… though Duo, remembering how he had first gotten Heero in the hospital, then realized they should be fighting together and going to rescue him.  __If this chick managed to pull it off she must really be something!  _

            "Sorry," growled Heero through clenched teeth, not sounding sorry in the least.  "I hadn't exactly thought the bastard would be needing my…  assistance… once the war was done."  

            The girl smirked, satisfied with his response, and lay back in one of the lounging chairs in the room, throwing one leg over the arm.  Still grinning cockily, she asked, "So, what brings you here anyways, Heero?"  Her eyes flickered over Duo and Wufei.  "And who are your friends?"  

***

            Kaiyel woke from his drugged sleep with a start, to find himself in a sitting position, his hands tied together behind his back, a blindfold fitted over his eyes.  _Where the heck am I…?  He wasn't sure whether to feel scared, curious, or angry.  Somehow he was all three at once.  Quickly though, fear subsided for anger almost total, though there was still some curiosity.  Someone had picked him up right off the street, like he was some ignorant little kid.  _

            "Ah, Mr. Braveo, you've awoken.  I was beginning to think you might never wake."  

            He stiffened at the sound of a woman's voice.  "Who are you?"  he demanded.  "What do you want with me?"  

            She chuckled a little.  "It's not so much who you are as who wants you," she told him, her voice sickeningly sweet.  

            "What?"  

            "Oh, my poor dear boy, you're bait can't you see?"  

            "I don't see anyth-"  

            "Shh.  It'll make sense when it needs to."  

            "But-"  

            "Farewell, Kaiyel Braveo," she said, her footsteps clanign loudly as she walked away.  He heard a door open.  "Farewell, until the fish arrive and bite the hook."  And with that she was gone.  

            Hey, I'm sorry this took so long, but here it is now!  Enjoy, and tell me what you think, will ya?  Thancks!  Come again!  


End file.
